Charles Gregory
Like many others, I am disappointed that he would generalize and disparage two fifths of the Republican membership — those he collectively refers to as “Libertarians” and “not real Republicans” — even though the near entirety of those he speaks of have never been affiliated with the Libertarian party. Most have been longtime Republicans or simply disaffected.
It saddens me that some members of the establishment feel so territorial, in relation to the growing number of fiscally and constitutionally conservative party members.
In spite of this drama, I have not given up on the belief that Republicans can and should operate with mutual respect.
The notion that all members of a political party will agree on every minute policy detail is unrealistic.
We are not the Borg (I admit it; I am a bit of a Trekkie;)
However, reading Joe’s comments, you would think that we are talking about factions with paradoxical political philosophies.
This is simply not the case.
What does it mean to be a Republican, or a conservative, if not a belief in conserving the principles of limited, small, decentralized government that the American revolutionaries fought for?
I’ve read some ill-informed, or intentionally misrepresented, accusations that attempt to equate libertarian philosophy with liberalism.
In reality, these terms couldn’t be more diametrically opposed.
Libertarian philosophy is a belief in Natural Law: all men are created equal — we have the unalienable right to life, liberty, and property — there is an absolute right and wrong — and our rights are God-given or inherent in our being.
Natural Law takes higher precedence than any man-made or government law; and governments are subject to the same Natural Laws as individuals.
In other words, it’s what Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, James Madison and the rest of our founding fathers believed.
These principles are plastered all over our most cherished establishing documents — and reflected in creeds and the stated principles of the Republican Party across the country.
Ronald Regan referred to libertarianism as “the heart and soul of conservatism.”
What we are seeing today is a revitalization of the small government, fiscally conservative wing of the Republican Party that has been somewhat dormant, perhaps since the Barry Goldwater days.
Ultimately, the role of a chairman should be, not to dictate, but to facilitate the interactions and will of the members of the party from the bottom up, not the top down.
It pains me to witness some establishment party members willing to forego the opportunity to revitalize the GOP when they reject the next generation of Republicans.
Since Mitt Romney’s failed presidential bid, I have heard many logically stretched analyses of what went wrong.
We should have won that election with votes to spare.
The lessons I believe the Republican Party should take away from the experience are these:
— First, we can’t bank on winning an election based solely on how bad the other guy is; we must have something to offer. It is my opinion that instead of “free stuff” and government dependency, the Republican Party can win with a message of freedom and responsibility.
— And second, we will never win a national election using bully tactics to stamp out the grassroots and keep out new and potential members.
Republicans can ride the wave of rejuvenation simply by embracing the resurgence in popularity of the wisdom of our founding fathers.
Instead, I frequently hear talk of chasing demographics in order to stave off dwindling interest and membership.
On a positive note, there are many longtime party members around the state who get it. These individuals have reached out in friendship; coalitions have formed and these groups are working to achieve common goals.
The ultimate truth is that we need each other.
Without the experience of the “old guard,” the upcoming generation of Republicans would have a difficult time navigating on their own; and without the next generation of Republicans, the Party has no future.
As far as my role, I’ve simply had the privilege of working with many fantastic individuals, passionate about and dedicated to the message of liberty.
State Rep. Charles A. Gregory (R-Marietta) represents House District 34 in the state Legislature.
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Your tone does run counter to one of your group at the convention named Dave. Dave approached me while I worked the Republican tent at a Marietta Square event a few months back. He insisted that the Republican Party's problem is that they need to get rid of the "F"-ing Christians. As a Christian, social conservative, I have found that the views of many in the Liberty Movement run afoul of the beliefs of evangelical Christians. It has become apparent to me that you must ask everyone what is their definition of Conservative.
I agree with you that we must return to the principles of a limited, de-centralized government. To that end, I will look forward to working with you.
Additionally, our founders recognized that our form of government, a Representative Republic, was only sustainable for a moral and religious people. My concern for the Liberty Movement is that you want the bricks of liberty without the mortar of morality. I respect your right to believe this, but I challenge you to be forthright on where you stand on social issues.
With that said, let's pursue this political fight for the preservation of our freedem together....but with honesty and transparency about who we are and what are our agendas.
The GOP's "stance" that les gov't is a better gov't does not always work. Sometimes the gov't DOES need to get involved. The last several yrs the Repub party talks and does NOTHING. I am a college grad who was laid off 6 yrs ago & no one wants to hire anyone over 40 in a good paying job. Since I had pre-existing conditions, I paid COBRA for 18 months, hoping for a job that had medical benefits. There was a gap in coverage, but I was able to get a call center job with medical coverage.
Also, the Ryan plan to make changes to medicare & social security qualifications for anyone 55 & younger is ABSURD! That is too late in a person's life for them to recover. They have worked for 35 yrs and now you change the game. NO! I have paid into SS for 46 yrs and that program should be there. Congress screwed it up, NOT me.
I voted for Obama in the last elections because of the Affordable Healthcare Act. It is not perfect, but it can be modified. If I had waited for the Repubs to make any changes to healthcare insurance, I'd still be waiting. I believe the majority of the Republican Party has become the party of old, weathy, white men who lean far to the right on social & religious issues. Repubs care more about funding our military & fighting wars all over the world. How many nuclear weapons do we need? We spend more on defense than any other country. Canada spends less & their country is safe, because they don't stick their nose in every country on earth.
Everyone, not just a 62 yr old person as myself, should be concerned about their SS, medicare & health insurance. The U.S. is not the same as it was 50 yrs ago. The GOP needs to be relevant to today's world.
By entering the scene in such manner, these new conservatives have entered as a separate, exclusive group and create their own division.
Everything you so politely, eloquently and clearly laid out is spot on. It is exactly what I have expected to have been hearing from Mr. Dendy and the other so called "real" republicans in Cobb County ( and nat'lly) for a long time now.
Mr. Dendy's concern about "young" "single men" with "no wives" instead of the growing trampling of personal liberties, burdensome government regulation and out of control government spending is emblematic of what we have been being served by the "real" republicans since the early days of GW Bush.
Mr. Gregory, I am with you and Oleg and others like you. Your words echo my thoughts.
I hope you all will keep on doing exactly what you have been doing. If you are not a "real" republican, then I am dang sure I am not either. But, I am also dang sure that I have been voting for every lame candidate the "real" republicans have been putting forth since the GW Bush days - locally and nationally(holding my nose on more than one occasion) for a long time.
I hope Mr. Dendy and the rest of the "real" republicans will reconsider the tone they are setting. The "Real" republicans need to be very worried about whether or not the non-"real" republicans ever show up to vote republican again. 2014 is coming and there are a lot of people who simply are not going to follow the Karl Rove plan ever again.
Thanks again, Mr. Gregory! Keep it up!
Usually those people are also smart, and not locked into "the old" school program. Times are changing and we need to be aware of that.
The Libertarian civic reform is indeed based on natural law and a focus on voluntary alternatives.
Libertarians work in all parties. For info on people using voluntary Libertarian tools on similar and other issues worldwide, please see the non-partisan Libertarian International Organization @ http://www.Libertarian-International.org ....
Thank you for your service!
Do you really think having nothing to offer will change if you have a different, severely conservative candidate?
The problem for Republicans isn't the package. It's the product.
It would be funny if it wasn't so serious. I guess "conservatism" like many other words has been molded to not mean much these days, but Romney was clearly not what a republican should be. He was not for small government, he was not a constitutionalist & he did not understand Liberty.
Of course you're going to loose when you don't have a consistent message & on top of it your message to start with isn't based on principle, that there is the basic problem with the "establishment".
While I too believe that the future of our Party is our younger generation, they must learn we have a process called primaries and there will be winners and losers. Picking up your marbles and going home because you lost in that process, then besmirching the winner does nothing to endear the "Old Guard" to your cause. What you did in the last election has rightfully aroused suspicion of your motives. If you want acceptance then reach out, accept the criticism you rightly deserve and don't try to immediately "take over". Prove yourselves first, build back trust, and then maybe you'll garner the support of those that did not waiver in the last election.
Obviously, a LOT of Paul supporters -- and the vast majority of them are long-time Republicans -- voted GOP in the election. Stop making assumptions and accusations, and while we're at it, stop ensuring that liberals like McCain and Romney get the GOP nomination, and stop disparaging the wave of young, energetic small-government conservatives that are finally starting to take our Party seriously. We NEED them.
That being said, the GOP cheated, with the help of mainstream media, Ron Paul out of the nomination. I, and my fellow patriots, place principle above party, EVERY TIME!
Had the GOP played fair to nominate rOBOMBney, it would have been totally different. But their insistance on him being the nomineee, to the point that the Chair of the GA GOP was threatening delegates who would not get in and hoe the party line is disgusting at best, criminal at worst!
Give us a candidate that does not insult our sense of integrity and we can get behind him. Otherwise, you only have yourselves to blame when you lose.
We ARE here to stay. We WILL return the GOP back to it's conservative roots. We WILL only support candidates who support the Constitution.
George Bush won his first presidential election espousing "small-government" and a "humble foreign policy" but what we got was Medicare part D and the Iraq war.
Romney was the pro-abortion on demand author of Obamacare- what are the odds he would have governed as a small-government president?
Of course Romney would have been a better president than Obama, but couldn't we Republicans have picked a better nominee?
The reason big-government Republican candidates, like McCain and Romney, win the primaries is because the "Old Guard" supports them. If the Old Guard wouldn't support unprincipled nominees we'd stop getting unprincipled nominees.
If Liberty Republicans have to prove ourselves to the Old Guard, and "build trust" by supporting candidates like McCain, Romney, and Jeb Bush than we are never going to merit the status of "real Republicans" in the eyes of the Old Guard.
But Liberty Republicans don't believe Big-Government Republicans are real Republicans, and we don't care what unprincipled Republicans think of us.
I have never been a member of the Libertarian Party although I know we need to bring those folks into the Republican Party in order to defeat the Democrats. We are much more in agreement with Libertarians on principles than not.
If the "Old Guard" doesn't want to build Coalitions with the Libertarians and the Constitution Party voters, whom do they want to bring into the Republican tent? More Big-Government Socialists?
Why would voters vote for a Big-government Republican when they can vote for a better socialist? A Democrat.
There was only one truly pro-life, small-government, Republican candidate in the last Republican presidential primary and you, the Old Guard, rejected him... and your guy, Romney, lost.
Doing things your way hasn't worked. Quit preaching to us real Republicans what we have to do to get your fake Conservative candidates elected, and get out of our way while we work to get real Republicans elected.
I respect your dedication to the Party and you do have some of the facts right.
Ron Paul supporters did remain loyal to the man they knew to be a proven, moral, ethical, highly intelligent and passionately committed conservative – a man who served his country for 30 years without ever taking personal or financial advantage of his position at the expense of the taxpayer – a man whose Economic Vision and Expertise has the best chance of saving our flailing Economy – a man whose voting record showed him to be the perfect and iconic Consrvative to lead our nation.
However, you have been badly misinformed as to the reason Romney did not succeed. It is ludicrous and libelous to deduce that the supporters of Ron Paul caused Romney to lose the election in November. Many Ron Paul supporters took the bitter pill and voted for Romney. However, almost no one you talk to will admit to being an avid supporter of Romney. He was everyone’s 2nd or 3rd, or 4th choice.
Romney alienated both the poor and much of the middle class with his ostentatious wealth and whimsical arrogance. He offended the welfare recipient, women and the religious right. He had no appeal for the independent voter nor for the phiscal or the constitutional conservative. He was for one thing today and against it tomorrow. He could not be trusted.
Romney was the Media’s choice to run against Obama. And they had an excellent plan.
Every time a Liberal Newsman or Pundit assured us that Romney was the best candidate for the Republican Party they followed with a barrage of damming proof of Romney’s lack of credibility and his superficiality and lack of connection to the common people.
Given Romney’s lack of genuine support with the Republican base, and the machinations of the News Media he never actually had a chance.
No one likes to be played, duped, bamboozled, made a fool of by the opposition. So it is natural when a person discovers that he has been badly hoodwinked, and is unable to face his own short-sightedness, he will look for a Scapegoat to blame.
Hence . . . the “Ron Paul Conspiracy” . . . the traitor from within!
Absolutely ridiculous! Once again you are being played! You are being cleverly divided among yourselves to further the liberal cause. Please do not fall prey to the age old tactic of “Divide and Defeat.”
The very survival of our way of life depends upon our working together!
You had several other much better candidates!
You seem to have forgotten, your last choice (John McCain) was another looser just like this one you pushed on us. Who’d you all blame for that one?
You guys should just admit you don’t know what you’re doing!
Maybe we do need SOMEONE to take over this here mess!
Mr. Ivutin was a member of the Republican Party and the smear by Dendy is unacceptable. It is time for Dendy to resign, and Rose Wing as well. She will be busy debating for the next SPLOST proposal anyway.
Local tax issues can bind groups together when they fight to diminish their expansion but as soon as the election process begins again the cracks of division will show and grow.
Time, resources, talent and money is wasted trying to pull this dying party out of the tar pits! Let it die!